  Bowie State Moves Up To #19 in NABC Division II Poll (KANSAS CITY, Mo.) The Bowie State Bulldogs moved up two spots to # 19 in this week's Division II NABC (Coaches) poll. The poll records reflect games played through January 21st. Last week, the Bulldogs defeated Johnson C. Smith and Chowan to improve their record to 13-3. Bowie State also beat Elizabeth City State on Monday (January 23rd), but this game did not factor into the latest poll. The Bulldogs return to the hardwood on Saturday (January 28th) for a much anticipated rematch against Lincoln University of Pennsylvania in the Lions home court. NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Jan. 24, 2012) 1. Bellarmine (Ky.) (8 first place votes) 16-1 200 2 2. West Liberty (W.Va.) 3. Metropolitan State (Colo.) 17-1 184 4 4. Tarleton State (Texas) 5. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 17-1 161 6 6. Winona State (Minn.) 7. Kentucky Wesleyan 8. Southern Indiana 9. Northern Kentucky 10. Midwestern State (Texas) 15-1 128 13 11. Colorado School of Mines 15-2 126 12 12. Alabama-Huntsville 13. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 14. Missouri Southern 15. Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 14-3 86 11 16. Indiana (Pa.) 17. Shaw (N.C.) 18. Western Washington 19. Bowie State 20. Hillsdale (Mich.) 21. Indianapolis, (Ind.) 22. West Georgia 23. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 24. South Carolina Aiken 25. Alaska-Anchorage BOWIE STATE ROUTS ELIZABETH CITY STATE VIKINGS 89-64 (ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – January 23, 2012) It only took the 21st ranked Bulldogs about eight minutes to show why they’re one of the best teams in the country as Bowie State routs Elizabeth City State 89-64. The victory was BSU’s fifth in a row and improves the Bowie State record to 14-3 overall, 6-2 CIAA and 2-0 North. The first 5:21 of the first half featured two ties and six lead changes. However, a tip-in by Bowie State senior Ali Djim broke an 11-11 tie which started a 12-0 Bulldogs run. Elizabeth City State’s Quintin Spady cut the Vikings deficit to eight (27-19) with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Unfortunately for ECSU, that’s as close as they would get for the rest of the game. The Bowie State lead ballooned to a first period high 20 and sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a very comfortable 50-32 advantage. The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the floor in the first period, connecting on 17-of-33 field goals, which included 8-of-14 beyond the 3-point line. Of those eight first half triples, junior Byron Westmorland was responsible for half of them. Bowie State’s defense stymied Elizabeth City State all night, holding the Vikings to 32 percent shooting in the first half and 37 percent in the second half. The Bulldogs began the second half with a 6-0 before a layup the Elizabeth City State’s Omar Jones stopped the run. Bowie State’s stronghold grew to a game-high 29 points (67-39) after a short jumper from the free throw line by junior Branden Doughty with 13:52 left in the game. From there, BSU head coach Darrell Brooks substituted freely. “Tonight we just shot the ball well and I was pleased with our effort defensively and continued to rebound well”, said Brooks following the game. “It’s always tough playing in here (R.L. Vaughan Center) and this was great divisional victory for us.” Bowie State matched its first half, 52 percent field goal shooting in the second half, hitting 15-of-29. The Bulldogs made 13-of-26 of its 3-point field goals. Westmorland led all scorers with a game-high 21 points and senior Darren Clark along with junior Bryan Wilson added 16 and 13 points respectively for the Bulldogs. Clark snatched a game-high nine rebounds and handed out a game-high nine assists from his point guard position. Elizabeth City State (9-9, 3-5 CIAA, 1-1 North) was led by Marquie Cooke’s 16 points and eight rebounds. Spady, Angelo Sharpless and Jones also scored in double figures for the Vikings, adding 13, 11 and 10 points respectively. Bowie State will take Tuesday off and begin preparation for Saturday’s (1/28) road rematch with the Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. The Lions and Bulldogs will tip-off at 7:30 pm from LUPA’s Manuel Rivera Hall. TURNOVERS COSTLY IN LADY BULLDOGS 60-50 SETBACK AT ELIZABETH CITY STATE (ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – January 23, 2012) Turnovers and late cold spells costly in Bowie State 60-50 loss at Elizabeth City State. “You can’t turn the ball over 25 times in a ball game and expect to win”, said first year head coach Renard Smith. Elizabeth City State (11-7, 5-3 CIAA, 2-0 North) used an 11-0 run over a late first half stretch to turn a two point lead to a 35-25 halftime advantage. ECSU’s Jasmine Walker was deadly in the first 20 minutes, knocking down four 3-pointers on 4-of -6 shooting. The Lady Vikings shot a blistering 59 percent from the floor in the first half (13-22) which included 5-of-10 beyond the arc. Elizabeth City State held a ten point lead early in the second half until a 3-pointer by Bowie State junior Brooke Miles followed by a jumper by senior Juliette Turner cut the lead in half at 39-34 at the 16:27 mark. However, the Lady Viking pushed the lead back to ten (49-39) by the midway point of the second half. Bowie State (2-13, 2-6 CIAA, 1-1 North) battled back to pull within three at 51-48, but the offense stalled for the remainder of the game. The only bucket by the Lady Bulldogs over the final 6:07 was a layup by Turner at the 1:54 mark. Turner was Bowie State’s only double figure scorer with 19 points and also led the team in steals with six. Senior Chanita Jordan and junior Jasmine Jacobs chipped in seven points each and sophomore Chanet Wallace added six points. Jordan swatted away a game-high five shots. Walker scored a game-high 24 points to lead Elizabeth City State and Stephanie Harper added 12 points and six rebounds. Wykeemia Gray pulled down a game-high eight rebounds for the Lady Vikings to go along with eight points and a team-high four assists. Bowie State outrebounded Elizabeth City State 38-23. “This (rebounding) was an emphasis for us this week in practice, but we have to learn from this and get better by the next game … I’m proud of the ladies because they really worked hard tonight”, said Smith as the Lady Bulldogs boarded the bus for home.  |
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